Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-11-12
A CHAPTER ON CANES.
THE POPULAR DEMAND FOR MORE
EXPENSIVE DECORATION.

EXPENSIVE DECORATION.
The Various Kinds Of Wood Used-sticks
Imported from Foreign Lands-Gold
and silver Headed Canes-A Peep Into
the Melting Pot.
There is great activity among the cane
| makers OF this city. They work day and
| night to fill orders for the holiday trade
These orders are mostly ior canes of the
higher prices, with gold or silver heads
| The popular demand for canes is not at
| present in the line Of rare and curious
| woods, but rather for inferior material in
the sticks and more expensive decoration.
| The cheaper sticks, such as are sold on
the sidewalks and at the summer resorts
are made of nanaberry wood, hickory
water beech and dogwood. These sticks
are grown in New Jersey aud the north
ern part Of New York state. The process
Of getting these canes ready for the mar
Eet consists merely in Strengthening, sand
papering and polishing. These cheap
varieties are never ornamented with gold
or silver, and they re sold for from five
to fife zen cents ap.ece.
Among the imported sticks are those
made Of olive wood. which is brought
from Algeria through the London market.
Another popular variety of wood is Eng.
lish hazel. A very fine hazel wood stick is
grown in Germany. Hazel wood is chiefly
priced for the beauty Of its bark, which is
particularly true of the English silver bark.
These sticks are brought to this country
with natural crook handles, and are orna.
col rs.h n ..l,-n
heads. Another variety Of wood sought
after by .ane carriers is the French crab.
These sticks are cultivated on cane farms
in the vicinity Of Paris. They are used
with and without the bark, and fetch
higher prices than hazel.
AN EXPENSIVE sTIcK
very expensive cane is made from the
Madagascar or Ceyion vine. This wood is
warty and knotty. 1t is carried in its
natural condition with a knob on each
stick. A highly priced cane is made from
Malacca orne, Of the rattan species These
sticks are argely used for mounting pur-
poses. T'iey are about equal in value to
the hazel. Other beautiful canes are made
from English oak, prunelle and German
cherry. A comparatively rare cane is
manufactured from the hide Of the sea
COW. Ii is sem-transparent. like amber
But the woods which are always in de-
mand. and which none Of the vagaries Of
fashion have driven from their secure Do
sition in public estimation, are the rose
wood, ebony and snakewoOd. These va
rieties have practically a monopoly Of ele-
giant mountings. A solid gold head IL
seldom, If ever. put upon anything less
rare than the three varieties. Snakewood
Is peculiarly striking in appearance, much
resembling the notified skin Of q rattle
snake
Among the names for the different
kinds of canes are the Pistol Butt, the
Prince of Wales Knob, the Opera Hook,
Crutch Hook, the Mascot Hook and the
Mascot Crutch.
Never before in the history of cane
making have there been so many gold and
silver headed canes carried as at present
The majority of these mountings are not
solid, lis great many persons erroneously
suppose. They are made of thin SHE'LL
which is usually one-siXth gold or silver
and four-siyths baser metal.
The process Of manufacture Of these
metal heads is very interesting. An in
quistive reporter climbed two dingy
flights Of stairs in Fulton street the other
day to see how the heads were made. He
was first shown series Of steel dies with
which the cane heads were pressed into
the desired shapes. The edges of the two
pieces were then joined together with gold
solder, just as the halves Of walnut shell
might be welded. This shell was then
filed with melted lead, SO as to form a
solid ground upon which the gold chasers
can work, to whom the cane head was
. ls1,, TO-
chasers have cut the yielding metal into
figured designs the head was covered with
whiting and submitted to the fierce heat
of Il gas jet, which caused the lead to run
out. Then the cane head was polished
and fastened upon the cane. 4
AN INTERESTING PROCESS.
A most interesting process was that by
which the gold was separated from the
baser metals. All the odd pieces Of metal
which were left over, like shoemakers'
p2rincs, were thrown into a big earthen
preserve jar. Nitric acid was poured
upon these scraps. A chemical action
was then begun by which the gold was
from the baser metals.
\ white and suffocating smoke
arose which was sitting. The liquid
in the jar assumed a deep blue
color, and big golden bubbles rose to
the surface. The contents Of the jar SIM
r,ered and seethed. and all the time the
acid WIS getting in its work separating
the purer metal from the baser compost
ton. The liquid was constantly assum-
ing varying changes in color, until it
gradually settled down into a vivid green
Then tie gold shaviEys were fished out
aE.i dried in Il copper dipper over a port |
able forge. The gold shavincs were then !
placed in little sand crucible which WAS
wed-cd between two glowing pieces of
Charcoal In the intense heat Of the fire
thc gold shavinss were soon reduced to q
liquid state and cast into bars to be used
for soldering purposes.
The place where this process Is carried
81 employs only about n dozen men, yet
tie proprietors sell all the water, which is
u-cl for washing purposes, the ashes from
1 Ie portable forge and the aprons, besides
the sweepnSs from the floor, for 500
year. The reporter heard all this in Won
der. and loo,s Il at the mysteries of the
melting pot with amazement. Then he
went down on the sidewalk and shook
himself. and dust like that from a butter
fiy's wing fell from his clothing in a
golden shower.-New York Evening Sun. |
SkiIlful Women Of Fayal
The women of Fayal have long been |